See Bridesmaids Perform Their Own 'Espresso' Parody Before Ariana Grande's SNL Sketch: 'We Did It First' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Meredith Ryals and Mackenzie Stone at their brother’s wedding / Ariana Grande and Heidi Gardner on SNL.Photo:Mackenzie Stone mackenzierstone/TikTok ; NBC SNL

Mackenzie Stone mackenzierstone/TikTok ; NBC SNL

Ariana Grandeisn’t the only bridesmaid to have performed a parody ofSabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.“During her recent appearance onSaturday Night Live, Grande joinedSNLcast members Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and Sarah Sherman in a skit as bridesmaids at a wedding reception whoperform a spoof of the hit songfor the bride (Chloe Fineman) and groom (Andrew Dismukes).Not long after the episode aired, real bridesmaids Meredith Ryals and Mackenzie Stone playfully called out the sketch comedy show onTikTok, claiming to have had the idea first: “Hey @SNL, we did it first!“On Sept. 7, sisters Ryals and Stone served as bridesmaids for their brother’s wedding in Georgia. At the rehearsal dinner the night prior, the two sang a hilarious original piece for the couple to the tune of “Espresso.” Ryals and Stone then shared a video of their performance in a jointInstagramcarousel posted on Oct. 6 – six days beforeSNL’s Oct. 12 episode featuring host Grande and musical guest Stevie Nicks.After watching the strikingly similarSNLskit — a clip of which has gained nearly 70 million views onTikTok— Stone’s “jaw was on the floor.““I was watching with my husband, and he immediately turned and looked at me hysterically laughing, and I was in shock,” Stone tells PEOPLE. “My first thought was, ‘Wow, I thought we were creative, but maybe not?!'“Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, Ariana Grande, Ego Nwodim on SNL.NBCThe entire family couldn’t believe the crazy coincidence.“Our family group chat was buzzing telling us to post our video,” Ryals tells PEOPLE. “It took us a few days, but Mackenzie went for it. We’re looking back at the guest list from the wedding and verifying plus ones, haha.“When Stone posted the video of their “Espresso” rendition on TikTok three days later, commenters were quick to notice the likeness.“This is most definitely the inspiration 😭😭😭 it HAS to be,” one commenter wrote, with another agreeing, “i wouldn’t be surprised if they have random accounts that scout ideas & took inspiration from you i’ve heard it happening before!!“Mackenzie Stone mackenzierstone/TikTokDuring the nearly five-minuteSNLsketch, each bridesmaid sang an off-key verse about a bachelorette party when the bride went home with a man named Domingo (Marcello Hernandez). While Ryals and Stone’s song, which took less than 24 hours to write, didn’t include any cheating accusations, it also detailed going to a bar with the bride.“Now that time has passed, I do feel it’s possible someone with a tie toSNLcould have stumbled upon it and drew some inspiration,” Stone tells PEOPLE. “I did post a version on Instagram a week before theSNLskit aired — so who knows? Either way, we loveSNL’s take on it. Ariana is incredibly funny and talented, and Sabrina is a genius for creating such an addicting song!”

Ariana Grandeisn’t the only bridesmaid to have performed a parody ofSabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”

During her recent appearance onSaturday Night Live, Grande joinedSNLcast members Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and Sarah Sherman in a skit as bridesmaids at a wedding reception whoperform a spoof of the hit songfor the bride (Chloe Fineman) and groom (Andrew Dismukes).

Not long after the episode aired, real bridesmaids Meredith Ryals and Mackenzie Stone playfully called out the sketch comedy show onTikTok, claiming to have had the idea first: “Hey @SNL, we did it first!”

On Sept. 7, sisters Ryals and Stone served as bridesmaids for their brother’s wedding in Georgia. At the rehearsal dinner the night prior, the two sang a hilarious original piece for the couple to the tune of “Espresso.” Ryals and Stone then shared a video of their performance in a jointInstagramcarousel posted on Oct. 6 – six days beforeSNL’s Oct. 12 episode featuring host Grande and musical guest Stevie Nicks.

After watching the strikingly similarSNLskit — a clip of which has gained nearly 70 million views onTikTok— Stone’s “jaw was on the floor.”

“I was watching with my husband, and he immediately turned and looked at me hysterically laughing, and I was in shock,” Stone tells PEOPLE. “My first thought was, ‘Wow, I thought we were creative, but maybe not?!'”

Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, Ariana Grande, Ego Nwodim on SNL.NBC

NBC

The entire family couldn’t believe the crazy coincidence.

“Our family group chat was buzzing telling us to post our video,” Ryals tells PEOPLE. “It took us a few days, but Mackenzie went for it. We’re looking back at the guest list from the wedding and verifying plus ones, haha.”

When Stone posted the video of their “Espresso” rendition on TikTok three days later, commenters were quick to notice the likeness.

“This is most definitely the inspiration 😭😭😭 it HAS to be,” one commenter wrote, with another agreeing, “i wouldn’t be surprised if they have random accounts that scout ideas & took inspiration from you i’ve heard it happening before!!”

Mackenzie Stone mackenzierstone/TikTok

During the nearly five-minuteSNLsketch, each bridesmaid sang an off-key verse about a bachelorette party when the bride went home with a man named Domingo (Marcello Hernandez). While Ryals and Stone’s song, which took less than 24 hours to write, didn’t include any cheating accusations, it also detailed going to a bar with the bride.

“Now that time has passed, I do feel it’s possible someone with a tie toSNLcould have stumbled upon it and drew some inspiration,” Stone tells PEOPLE. “I did post a version on Instagram a week before theSNLskit aired — so who knows? Either way, we loveSNL’s take on it. Ariana is incredibly funny and talented, and Sabrina is a genius for creating such an addicting song!”

source: people.com